Dev D

Firstly, I should state that I've seen 2 other versions of Devdas prior to watching this film, the 1955 Dilip Kumar version, as well the 2002 Shahrukh Khan version. While I much preferred the former version as it was well directed/acted, I honestly detested the story in both versions, and had trouble understanding and relating to the self-destructive aspect of the main character. In Anurag Kashyap's Dev D I have fallen in love with the story and characters. While Devdas has been redone too many times, this version is not a re-telling of the novel, but rather, a contemporized version of Devdas. Unlike mainstream Bollywood directors, Mr. Kashyap has decided to swim against the current and try to be a part of a wave occurring in Indian cinema that is trying to evolve a long stunted industry. With Dev D, we see not only the most substantial part of this wave, but also the most groundbreaking work to emerge from an industry infamous for bad overacting, mentally unstimulating (and frankly insulting) cliched stories, and depraved directing that would've given the late Ed Wood an ego boost.The film is cast with no-names in the leading roles, something that surely made producers hesitant to fund the film, but what a great idea to actually go with talent over super-models (not that anyone is lacking in the looks dept., the actors are beautiful still, they can just now..you know, ACT). Abhay Deol in the lead is fantastic, the best Devdas incarnation yet, and honestly all the performances are so poignantly achieved and wonderful. In Dev D one can actually see and understand the decisions this flawed character makes and anyone who's been heartbroken will surely relate to one of the three main characters. There's no over-acting here, it's quite unbelievable that these performances came out of an Indian film; it makes it that much easier to get engaged in the story.Dev. D was produced by independent studios, and understandably so. No major Bollywood studio today would fund a film with the raw content of this script which depicts real people and their actions. For some comparison, the 2002 blockbuster production of Devdas had a budget of almost $11 million compared to Dev D.'s budget of little over 1 million, yet the cinematography is lavishly gorgeous in Dev D. There's even some fantastic and innovative camera work used for some of the scenes where Dev is intoxicated. Yes, that's right, for innovation, the director actually tried changing up cameras and altering lighting to achieve effects to serve the story rather than dumping millions on a ridiculous dance scene, or flying out to stock a random mountain with dancing girls to pass off as "innovation." The film may not have the over-the-top sets and obscenely expensive saris on every female, but the film is shot on location showing the cities as they are and colors/lighting are used artistically to add to mood and compliment the music as well.And the MUSIC! How about an Indian film that does not use the A.R. Rahmans and Anu Maliks and regular playback singers that have virtually monopolized Bollywood's film-music business. The film doesn't once contain a scene where everyone gets up and starts dancing, but songs are played in the background with sensitive lyrics that parallel the characters feelings. At the helm of the music is Amit Trivedi in his second film to score which contains wonderful songs, and he may very well provide the most variety of styles of tracks for a given soundtrack for an Indian film. Like Kashyap, Trivedi is making a blatant push against the conventional Bollywood standards by implementing his own unique voice and by bringing along some great, unknown talents to bring the songs to life.I can almost not heap enough praise on this film. From an original story which I couldn't stand for its flagrant melodrama, Anurag Kashyap has artistically crafted a brilliant masterpiece which will undoubtedly only gain reverence and appreciation with age. I love this film, and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a great piece of cinema, and especially to anyone who, like me, had been frustrated with the trash spewing out of Bollywood for years. Having grown up amidst 90's Bollywood (a dark ages for Bollywood in my opinion), Dev D. was a much welcomed breath of fresh air.

I did not see the original Devdas so I can only go on this movie as a stand alone movie. I have watched many bollywood movies and I know what I like. Although I enjoy the musical intervals, I also liked how this one had good music but without the singing intervals. The acting was good and the direction made the movie seem more western. I didn't really care for the main character. His double standard for his love interest (it was ok for him to sleep around but when he found out that she had he called her a slut) and his immaturity (he sulked when she moved on after he rejected her) was so irritating to me that I stopped the movie. I have yet to finish it. I will one day. The movie itself is well done.

Is it just me or does DEV D represent some kind of tectonic shift incontemporary Indian cinema? The director has imbibed all he can of world cinema and then spat it right out - you can see thecolors and verve of Scorcese's Mean Streets (or are they the colors of Michael Powell and Godard?), Cammell's Performance, Wong kar Wai -- but on a purely visceral level, I'm reminded so much of Amores Perros. Whatever: Anurag Kashyap, is a great synthesizer and also an original, is the most exciting new filmmakerto come to my attention in ages. This film deserves to be seen in art houses all over the world.

Unique movie collection. Very happy. Thanks.

kalchi kochelin is good.

Bollywood, with extraordinarily rare exceptions, does not do good cinema.Almost every single Hindi movie seems to have the requirement of being a cheap crowd-pleaser that has a little something for everyone. A bit of overdone slapstick comedy (sillier and cruder is better), waaaayyyyy over the top romance, one hunky hero beating up a dozen baddies, one hot heroine whose job is be merely a hard-to-get sex siren, and a supporting cast of family/friends of the hero & heroine to round it all up. Utter garbage is the usual result.It's like ordering a curry from a cheap Indian restaurant: onion and tomatoes, ginger and garlic, turmeric, some garam masala form the base into which some veggies/meat are tossed and given different names.The level of mediocrity in Bollywood is rivals romance novels, Mcburgers, cheap alcohol and the like. Masters of mediocrity and kings of kitsch. It's all schlock! The movie "Bollywood calling" is an excellent satire on all of this.Against that background, the emergence of Dev-D is amazing. Debutant director and debutant composer with a debutant heroine. Not a single big name in any of the cast. Even Abhay is not a glam actor and always chooses offbeat roles, even though he comes from an entrenched Bollywood star family. Actually, other than Abhay Deol, nobody else seems to be a known actor or actress.Yet, this movie is a good example of fine cinema and excellent storytelling.The story of Devdas is India's version of star crossed lovers. But this movie is not a retelling of the classic story; rather it's a darker adaptation of the original brought up to date to 2009. The original is a story about innocence and pure love coming up against established mores of birth and wealth and status and tradition.This modern adaptation explores the characters of the three main protagonists and merely uses the story of Devdas as a suggestive guideline.It's not a story that's told to entertain, but it's fine storytelling at its best in exploring the characters that form the movie. And how!The story of Chanda, an innocent girl from a rich and loving family whose life is upended by a single moment of indiscretion is so well done. Kalki has done an excellent job as Chanda. Chanda chooses to not give in to circumstances and finds the inner strength to fight back the best she can and rebuilds a new life of her own - inside of a brothel with the help of a pimp and madam. The torment she goes thru, the losses she suffers, and the desperate choices she ends up making all contribute towards her finding her own inner strength and learning to make a new life out of the ashes of the old one.The story of Paro, who comes to understand the kind of man that she has given her heart to, and chooses to walk away after having her heart broken, and finds new love and builds a successful life of her own with a new family is well done.Neither of these women is sexualized and only shown thru the character she's supposed to portray.And Dev! Even his name is merely "Dev" and not "Devdas", perhaps as a statement that this story is not the original but only uses the original as a suggestion. Dev is an egoistic narcissist who cannot love anyone other than himself, a weak willed and pleasure seeking individual, who uses his family's wealth to indulge in toxic pleasure seeking, hurts most the people who are closest to him with the toxic choices he makes and has a lack of inner strength and character. He gravitates towards the seedy underbelly of life in the dark alleyways, cheap bars and brothels of Delhi in his quest to find escape from his own pain thru a combination of alcohol, drugs, and cheap sex.In the classic story, it's Devdas's father that stands against the lovers; in this version, Dev's father wistfully confesses to Dev his fondness for Paro, who has grown up in front of his eyes, and his hope of seeing her as his own daughter-in-law.The movie is intense, yet subtle. A couple of real life scandals have been deftly adapted into the plot line.A casual coincidence where Chanda and Paro turn out to be vis-a-vis to each other on a train journey is shown early on during the movie and again much later to explain the coincidence. Happenstance, very well done. It shows the amount of thought and effort that went into the making of the movie.The cinematography and camera work is one of the very best ever for any Hindi movie, period. The scene where Dev plays "relay" (a one-on-one drinking challenge) against a pimp in a dingy bar is a masterclass in camera work. When Dev gets plastered, the way his intoxication is portrayed with a shaky camera and the damage he's doing to himself when he dunks his head into a bucket of water is one of the most well done scenes in any movie.The cinematographer understands color theory, lighting setups, and camera angles and has used his knowledge to powerful effect.Every heard of the expression "every frame a painting"? Well, this movie is one such example of powerful camera work. The scene where Chanda and Dev are having a conversation on a balcony with deep blue all around, neon lighting for cheap advertisizing, and white light to illuminate the two is powerfully beautiful, yet so subtle it can easily be missed if you don't have an eye for it. This is not a scene the average moviegoer might remember but has a deep beauty to it. The song "saali khushi" where the cameraman has used an ultra wide angle to portray the three club singers has a very good in-your-face portrayal of the three men. There are many such examples where the camera has been positioned in unusual angles - and it works powerfully well!Music and background score is refreshingly original. Perhaps Trivedi's best work is his debut work. The range of songs from classical Indian style to hard rock to even a common brass band, the range of male and female singers employed, the emotion that each song conveys is amazing.This movie is a work of art - make no mistake about it! Every scene and dialogue has a purpose and builds up into a coherent whole.I understand it might not be for everyone, especially if one is looking for casual entertainment. This movie will punch you in the gut, squeeze your heart out, and make your head spin. You might want to sit down while watching it.Not a single "item girl" with an "item song" anywhere in the movie! What more can I say?